In this episode of Pop the Trunk, we mixed the format up a little, with Head of Creative Tech Nathan Broadbent and Head of Partnerships Chris James taking the reins. Speaking to Carlsberg’s Customer Marketing Manager for the On-trade, Emily Grafton, they discussed how businesses can get ahead in the toughest festive season yet.
Side note: this episode was initially a webinar, filmed before stricter restrictions were put in place in the UK. At the time, on-trade businesses were subject to a 10pm curfew, but the tier system had not yet been discussed.
Christmas, traditionally the busiest time of the year for the on-trade industry, is a little different this year. With widespread restrictions around social distancing, households, and now the tier system, it’s been impossible for these businesses to operate in the usual way. In this episode of Pop the Trunk, we discussed the most effective ways that the on-trade can still drive sales, and more importantly for the ones in tiers 1-2, how they can actually drive footfall this Christmas.
Emily notes that their usual marketing has been completely turned on its head this year, from March to the present. She mentions,
‘It’s been a real up and down. We’ve had to replan and refocus weekly, having more listening sessions with consumers and our on-trade sales teams to find out what the sentiment looks like … we’ve had to be really reactive and flexible to customer needs, not sticking with plans like we normally would’.
The customer is key when it comes to navigating uncertain times, and it’s apparent that this is a main focus for Carlsberg this year. Emily mentions that marketing this year has meant being brave, and knowing when the right time is to launch a campaign.
‘We’ve had to be brave and make the big decisions – we pulled a massive campaign that had been in planning for about six months, just because restrictions had changed again, and it wasn’t the right time. We needed to be brave enough to make that call and say actually, we have to think differently … I think digital is massively the way forward, we can start brand messaging sooner, and drive it all the way through the visit and beyond.’
Want to hear more? Next week, we’re talking to champion battle rapper and performer Adam Woollard, AKA Shuffle T. Don’t miss it, streaming on all good platforms.
Follow Emily: @GraftonEmily
Follow Trunk for updates: @TweetsByTrunk